Today wireless communication is becoming more and more prevalent in everyday life. One area that wireless communication is beginning to take hold is in general lighting such as LED lighting. LED lighting is already advantageous over traditional incandescent or compact fluorescent lighting in that they do not contain mercury, last 25,000 to 50,000 hours depending on design, are much more efficient, with efficacies approaching 100 lumens/watt vs. 10 lumens/watt for incandescent and 50 lumens/watt for compact fluorescent. LED lighting is also advantageous in that LED devices offer greater lighting flexibility, are instant on or off and can have many more controls in them, such as those related to smart technologies. These smart technologies may be enhanced by incorporating wireless communication into the lamps and luminaries. By incorporating wireless technology into the lights, they can communicate directly to gateways and communication centers that have the ability to monitor things such as real time electricity consumption, control when a light goes on, adjust its light output based on the day light level and time of day, and allow consumers to control the lights remotely, e.g., via their handheld devices such as smart phones, PDA's, portable computing devices such as tablets including iPhones/iPads, Android devices, etc., personal computers for home and commercial applications and other networked or Internet enabled devices. These LED lighting devices in turn may also be used as Wi-Fi hot spots by incorporating the electronics necessary for such communication controls into the device itself.
Wireless communication requires an IP (Internet Protocol) enabled device to communicate. Companies are developing gateways and software that can communicate to IP enabled devices and control/monitor them. Google home is one example of software that is under development that runs on wireless devices that can communicate with IP enabled LED lights so one can control and communicate with them. In order for the IP enabled device to communicate with the network or gateway, wirelessly, it has to have a radio frequency network interface installed in it as well as an antenna to communicate the IP communications to the network and the computers controlling it using radio frequency (RF) signals. These antennas are typically required for radio communication to and between devices, and several protocols are available depending on the infrastructure used, such as Wi-Fi (IEEE 802 wireless standards), TCP/IP, ZigBee, or other wireless protocols that communicate with a router or gateway device that in turn communicates to the Internet. An exemplary networked system incorporating a wireless LED lighting device in accordance with the present disclosure appears in FIG. 7.
High powered LED lighting typically requires heat sinking for thermal management, which may be provided by aluminum or metal heat sinks which also act as part of the LED enclosure. These metal heat sinks can interfere and cause radio interference with the drive electronics and antennas and wireless radios used to communicate the IP and wireless protocol communications. Antennas must be placed a minimum distance away from the metal heat sink/enclosure so that they do not interfere with the wireless signals. This interference can cause incomplete information transmissions which will generate faulty control/monitoring responses as well as reduced wireless communication range which can reduce the effectiveness of the wireless performance and cause incomplete directional coverage (from 360 degrees around) as well as shorten the distance the antenna can “hear” or “send” a signal.
Other problems are antenna's conforming to the American National Standards institute (ANSI) or other standards setting body lamp size restrictions and overall industry shape guidelines for designing product. The challenge is in placing the antenna a sufficient distance from the metal housing without interfering with the illumination from the lamp. Many current applications have the antenna attached to or near the optic/lens, which can cause a shadow from the antenna to obstruct the illumination of the LED light, thereby causing an undesirable light coverage. This additionally makes the assembly and manufacturing of the LED device difficult and problematic.
FIGS. 1A, 1B and 4 depict two alternative LED devices, 111 and 211, respectively, where the wireless antenna has been assembled in a manner consistent with EMI interference materials. It is done in a way that Antenna 107 and 207 protrude right into the middle of the optic with spacing 110 and 210 of approximately 10 mm away from the LED housing 101 and 201, the metal core circuit board 104 and 204, and other metal or EMI interfering materials in the LED devices, although in some cases, the distance could be as little as 3-5 mm or more depending on design. Especially in the case of smaller lamps, such as GU10, A19's, Candelabras and the MR-16 embodiment 211 appearing in FIG. 4, the optic area 106 and 206 and the LED(s) 105 and 205 as shown in both FIGS. 1A, 1B and 4 could be found to be partially obstructed by the wireless antennas 107 and 207. The wireless antenna is coupled to an RF radio 103 and 203 via a coax cable 112 and 212. The RF radio is electrically connected to the LED driver 102 and 202. In these depictions, the MCPCB is placed onto the heat sink with thermal interface, 108 and 208. The MCPCB in the prior art is not overmolded and is securely fastened by screws 109 and 209 to the housing 101 and 201. Given the problems with the present state of art design and manufacturing of LED devices combined with the radio transmissions of the wireless devices, our present disclosure we will show improved LED device designs and manufacturing processes that resolve these problems.